Retributivism

Essays on Theory and Policy

Edited by Mark D. White

Describes the relevance of retributivism to current debates over capital punishment, entrapment, excessive sentencing, and the necessity defense

Explains how the principled concerns of retributivist justice can be accommodated and compromised in a real-world system of criminal justice by adopting an explicitly political conception of the practice

Proposes a rethinking of the philosophical foundations of retributivism, even from seminal retributivist thinkers such as Immanuel Kant and G.W.F. Hegel

Leading legal scholars and philosophers cover the various justifications and conceptions of retributivism, its philosophical foundations, and how retributivism informs actual criminal justice procedures and practices.

Retributivism

Essays on Theory and Policy

Edited by Mark D. White

Description

In Retributivism: Essays on Theory and Policy, Professor Mark D. White and his contributors offer analysis and explanations of new developments in retributivism, the philosophical account of punishment that holds that wrongdoers must be punished as a matter of right, duty, or justice, rather than to serve some general social purpose. The contemporary debate over retributivist punishment has become particularly vibrant in recent years, focusing increasingly on its political and economic as well as its philosophical aspects, and also on its practical ramifications in addition to theoretical implications. The twelve chapters in this book, written by leading legal scholars and philosophers, cover the various justifications and conceptions of retributivism, its philosophical foundations (often questioning conventional understandings), and how retributivism informs actual criminal justice procedures and practices.